TV’s Great British Menu winner Nigel Haworth was the star guest at the official opening of Total Foodservice’s new multimillion pound depot.

The Michelin-starred Ribble Valley chef joined deputy managing director Simon Howarth to untie the ribbon at the £2.9million Clitheroe property.

They were joined by a host of local food experts and food lovers, including Kendal College principal Graham Wilkinson, who is a former chef to the royal family and was Nigel’s lecturer in college, and Andy Morris Operations Director of Ribble Valley Inns.
Guests at the event were treated a tapas style lunch created by the Total Foodservice area sales managers Paul Thompson and Damian Ely, both trained chefs.

The pair made full use of the Total Foodservice product range to serve up a Lancashire twist on traditional tapas with a spread of 18 tapas dishes, followed by a dessert assiette of Masala Chai Panacotta, Green Tea and Banana smoothies, MonTeaTo and a Spanish cheeseboard.
Paul said: “The pressure was on us, but we relished the opportunity. We wanted to impress Nigel by putting together a great menu.”

The new Total Foodservice depot stands at 36,000sq ft on a 1.5 acre site. It took almost ten years to bring from drawing board to reality and includes a wealth of eco-friendly additions which keep energy use low and recycle natural resources.

Simon Howarth said: “We were delighted to welcome Nigel to our official opening. He has been a loyal customer for many years, so it was an honour to have him involved.
“We gave our guests a tour of the property and explained how the new facilities will help us deliver an improved and more efficient service. We received a lot of compliments on the day, both for the new depot and for Paul and Damian’s food.”

Simon added: “We will be delighted to show any of our customers, old and new, around our new premises over the coming months and invites will be going out in due course.”

Total Foodservice is one of the largest independent catering wholesalers in the North of England. It was formed in 2002 when two family firms merged, and now delivers a range of around 4,000 ambient groceries, chilled and frozen foods, non-food and cleaning materials. The company operates out of Clitheroe (01254 828330) and Huddersfield (01484 536688).